Serial Experiments Lain: Shadows
by WiredExile
Summary: Three years after the series, we find Lain, living by herself, without any recollection of the past 14 years. The only thing tying her to her mysterious past are these shadows which constantly haunt her dreams.
1. Chapter 1

Shadows of what look to be human beings, varying in age seem to be flashing by. The shadow of what seems to be a young girl falling from high up, maybe a building top. Another shadow in a different place, other shadows around it are dancing. Then another shadow appears, but its not a grayish color like the shadows surrounding it, its red... blood red. In a faint echo you can hear bits and pieces of what the red shadow is saying, things like "I Don't want to..." and "... mustn't interfere with ...", but you can't make out entire sentences. It holds something up to another shadow. That shadow approaches it and says something you can't make out, the red shadow points something at itself and then falls as a faint mist floats down around it. The shadow that was just confronted looks over, to a specific shadow. Again, this figure is different, its a grayish color like the others, but its a lot more vague. It looks like a fuzzy blob of sorts. When it tries to focus on the blob, there is pain, a horrible pain. Suddenly a loud sound emanates the room. buzz, buzz, buzz

In a rush, a girl sits straight up in her bed. She's covered in sweat, and proceeds to rub her head as if soothing a headache. This girl, she has an odd look to her. She appears to be about 17 years of age with brown hair that reaches her shoulders, short bangs, and a long braid of hair which runs past her left shoulder. She has hazel eyes and a pale complexion. She appears to be about 5'5", and is wearing a t-shirt with a bear print on it, along with a pair of pajama pants with the same bear print in a pattern. But it is not her appearance which is the cause of the odd aura about her, no, its something deeper. Something which cannot be fully explained.

The girl looks around the dimly lit room, the only sources of light emanate from the radio/clock next to the bed which reads 5:00 and the monitor of a computer. The girl gets up and thinks to herself "This dream, why do I continue to have it, what does it mean?" She walks over to a bathroom, where she begins her morning routine of bathing and other personal hygienic activities. She emerges from the bathroom about a half an hour later, wearing nothing but some undergarments and a towel wrapped around her neck, partially hiding her hair which has yet to be combed, and walks over to a closet, where she pulls out what appears to be a uniform. She proceeds to clothe herself, and comb her hair. There is another buzzing noise which emanates throughout the simple apartment, the clock has just tolled the bell for 6:00. The girl walks to the front of the apartment, where there is a kitchen area, and uncovers a simple meal of rice and fish which she had prepared the previous night, and proceeds to eat. 20 minutes later, she gets up, places the dishes into a sink and walks over to a small desk which houses a rather large personal computer, or "Navi", and various other items. She grabs a brown leather backpack, and reaches for an open wallet with an I.D. card visible which reads Iwakura Lain, and places the wallet in her bag, and proceeds out the door. lain walks out the door and walks to a train station two blocks away. At this point the sun has partially emerged, lighting her way. Along the way Lain notices something that she always thinks about, the shadows. Outside, unlike in her room, the shadows give off a nauseating purple and black mixture which moves as if it were water.

Lain makes her way to the train station and waits for about 8 minutes, during which time other denizens of the area beginning to fill the platform. Lain feels as if she's being watched, she always feels as if she's being watched. She has learned to live with the feeling. When the train pulls up she and other people around fill in. While on the train, she thinks she notices several people staring at her, again not uncommon for her, but still rather queer. The train pulls up to a stop, the announcers voice is too muffled by the sound of people to hear the name of the station, but the area is familiar, Lain gets off and proceeds to walk a few blocks until reaching a large 4 story building, her school.

She walks into the main entrances where a few other teens are either waiting or exchanging shoes. Lain walks up to a small locker and does the same, but above her shoes is a small envelope with a name written on it, sealed by a heart sticker. Lain recognizes it from the little TV she watches, and holds it as she walks away from her locker. Without even looking at the name written on it, she walks to the exit of the locker area, and puts the letter in a recycling bin, as she does so she notices a young boy staring at her from behind a row of lockers, and walks away without showing any signs of care. She enters a classroom which reads 3-B. Its a bit noisy with the chit-chat and gossip of a group of the girls. Lain takes a seat in the front left seat in the classroom and sits there quietly for about 20 minutes, at which time a bell rings and a teacher enters the room. Morning classes start, and Lain feels as if she's being watched, but not the same feeling she's grown accustomed to, no, this time it was from someone in the class, she didn't bother to turn around to see who it was.

Morning classes progress normally after that, with the usual eruption of laughter from a comment for scolding from the teacher, lain just takes notes and gazes of as routine. Lunchtime rolls around Lain pulls a small bento from her bag, along with a peach gelatinous drink and plastic chopsticks in an individual box. Lain proceeds to eat quickly and quietly in her seat, not taking notice of anything going on around her, or even going outside. Most of the class has decided to go outside because spring has just arrived, and the sun is shining brightly. Lain dislikes the sun and prefers to stay inside. After taking about 10 minutes, Lain finishes eating, puts away the empty box, and pulls from the pocket of her sports coat, a small red pocket Navi, which has obviously been modified for an enhanced performance. She pulls a stylus from the side and begins tapping away, showing more enthusiasm in whatever she's doing than anything all day.  
Suddenly another teenage girl says "Lain?". Lain casually looks over and sees one of her classmates standing behind her and in a low and depressed sounding voice asks "What do you want"  
"What are you doing?"  
"I'm on the wired."  
"Oh, that computer thing?"  
"Yes, now what do you want?"  
"Well, my friends and I found this really great techno club in the next town, I forget the name, but I was wondering if you wanted to come with us, it IS Friday night!"

As Lain looks into the girls eyes, getting ready to respond, she gets a sharp pain in her head and notices the girl takes the image of the vague shadow in her dream, a really distorted grayish blob, the same one that gave her a headache lat night, the same shadow that always gives her headache. She thinks to herself "I've been here before, doing this... No, not this, but I have done something li." Her thought is interrupted by an extremely sharp pain in her head. While grabbing her head, Lain looks at the ground and says in a really low tone "away..." The girl looks at Lain, not hearing her and asks "What?". Then for an unexplainable reason, Lain stands up , still looking at the ground and shouts "GO AWAY!" The girl is startled, as are the remaining people in the class, and takes a few steps when lain continues to say "Leave me alone, just go away" in her usual melancholic tone, and continues to browse the Wired on her Navi. Evening classes pass by in the same manner as the morning classes, and the day ends. Lain leaves the room the moment the bell tolls, walking home without any thought to socializing or club activities.


	2. Chapter 2

Serial Experiments Lain: Shadows Chapter II As she walks through the cluttered halls of the now buisy school, Lain passes a number of students who are changing clothes, preparing for club activities and sports, or just socializing with friends about what to do during the weekend. Pain still lingers in her head from the previous bout with her "shadows". As she walks through the halls, she can start to feel another headache dawning upon her, then suddenly she feels sharp pains in her temples, and everything begins to get hazy and the people start to look like the shadows in her dreams. Slowly, Lain can see that one shadow, the one unique one that tormented her earlier today. The headache is unblearable, and in a scream of pain, Lain collapses and blacks out.  
When Lain comes too, she looks around and all she can see are white walls, a single window, and a curtain. But at her bedside is this girl, still kinda hazy and fatigued from fainting, Lain mumbles "A...r...u?" while looking at a girl asleep in a chair next too the bed. Most of what she says is completly inaudible. The girl suddenly wakes up, its the girl who approached Lain in class. Startled at Lains sudden movements, the girl looks at her and begins to talk, "Lain, are you alright?". Still lightheaded, Lain exclaims quietly, "I'm,... I'm fine"  
"Really, That's such a relief. You just collapsed, I was so nervous, I didn't know what to do, so I grabbed you and rushed you to the infirmary... Are you sure you're ok? Wan't me to go get the nurse or get you anything"  
"No, I'm fine,... really"  
"Ok. Do you know what happened to you"  
"Not really,.. it happens a lot, usually not that bad, but I get these... headaches... and people start to seem, hazy, like shadows"  
"Wow, thats serious, maybe we should take you to a hospital to get you checked out"  
"No, I'm fine, seriously"  
"Im just worried about you"  
"Why"  
"I don't know, I just feel a connection to you... I know it must seem strange but, I don't know, its wierd, I can't really explain it"  
"I see... um, this may seem inconsiderate, but I don't know your name"  
"Oh, really... ha ha ha, don't worry about it. My name is &"  
"What? I couldn't hear that"  
"I said & Arisu"  
"Arisu"  
"... I,... I didn't say Arisu... I said Hitomi, but,.. how'd you know to call me that? That's my middle name, only my mother calles me that, I was named after my grandmother"  
"I thought... I thought you said Arisu,... I could have sworn you said that... But I like it, its somewhat, nostalgic. Of what, I don't know, well, its actually I don't remember,... I don't remember much past a year ago"  
"Really? Wow... I didn't know that, well, I don't know much about you. Nobody does, you're a complete mistery to the entire school. You are always such a loner"  
"Most people don't interest me, so I keep to myself"  
"Oh, well, about your memory, what do you remember"  
"Well, my earliest memory is of waking up in my small dark apartment to an alarm. I walked around and saw a note on the table, with a wallet holding money, and I.D. that states what I think is my name, and a note saying,  
'Lain,  
Im sorry I had to leave on such notice, I've left your stuff on the table with some money. I don't know how long I'll be gone for, so I'll send money every week along with paying the rent for you, so you don't have to worry about the exspenses. Stay safe, keep healthy, and eat something, I'm always worried about how thin you are.  
Love maKi P.S. Don't forget, you have school starting tomorrow, its your first day, so try to make a good impression with the class. Good Luck'  
That was all it said. I don't remember where I was before that apartment, how I got there, and who that maKi was. Alont with that note, in the apartment was my uniform, bag, a custom navi, and a portable navi, the red one you saw me on earlier. For some reason I've always been drawn to the Wired, I also seem to be very proficcient on Navis, its probably the only thing that draws my attention"  
"... Wow, that's really, obscure,... I can't fathom how you can really go on without your memories... Has this maKi-sama ever returned"  
"No, I just keep getting money in the mail, every week, same day, sunday"  
"$$$$E$"  
Just as Hitomi was about to say something else, she turned into a shadow, and spouted more of that inaudible screeching, as the screeching continued, the world around her seemed transform into static. At that exact moment, another headache dawned upon Lain, the most severe of them all, it was the most painful experience Lain had ever gone through. After about 10 seconds, she fainted, and as she blacked out, Lain could hear Hitomi calling her name, it seemed as if Hitomi was miles away, calling after her. The darkness of her dreams followed shortly. 


End file.
